[arel]

I've been asking a lot of questions about Brattleboro, but they have been mostly in the context of other threads.

Now it's time for Brattleboro to have a thread of its very own.

What do people see as the positives and negatives of Brattleboro?

Can a New Yorker move there and be happy?

Brattleboro is a small town, but not a tiny town. It is also a town with lots of amenities, and a much praised sense of community.

So far, it seems to be a potential fit for me, and it becomes less alien and more like home every time I visit.

But I have some concerns:

I am concerned about the economy - high cost of living and low pay. Few jobs.

I am concerned about the winter. Almost everyone is, though. I do want to take up some winter sports, e.g. snowshoeing, skiing.

I am concerned about the local roads in the winter. Snow, ice, hills, winding roads.

I am concerned about some aspects of small town culture - gossip, loss of big-city anonymity, boredom and restlessness with the slower pace of life, the possible inability to go somewhere in town to be alone. I have posted elsewhere about the transition from big city life to small town life. There is a whole thread dedicated to this.

I am concerned about the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in nearby Vernon.

Then there are the small things. The Retreat Tower is spooky, The Chestnut Hill Reservoir is an accident waiting to happen. An electric power structure near the Cotton Mill is an absolute eyesore. The local Y has no pool; you need to use the town pool, an expensive spa or the Y all the way in Keene. The Y in Keene is much more expensive than the Y near my home in Brookyn. Local bagels taste like they are made with Elmer's Glue. The Food Co-op has astronomically high prices, with a 10% tax if you eat the deli food at a table. Main Street can get very congested at times.

Some people say that Burlington is not really Vermont, i.e. it is nice because it is near Vermont. What about Brattleboro? Is Brattleboro Vermont? Or it it, like Burlington, more like an island off the cost?

I would love to read about people's feelings, experiences and insights about Brattleboro.

[pipkinra]

Arel, based on your previous posts here I will say they if you are seriously considering moving to Vermont from NYC in my opinion Brattleboro is your best choice. I seriously considered it but couldn't really find a house that I liked with at least 1 acre of land. Housing costs and taxes were another concern. But what I really didn't like was the Nuclear power plant being near. I was told by a Realtor that Bratt is downwind so that settled it for me.

I have absolutely nothing against Nuclear Power Plants but not in urban areas. I'm also reminded that when Japan had their recent nuclear incident the power company lied about the extent of the problem and was late in notifying the authorities of the initial leakage. Given this country's tendency, and Vermont may be an exception, to admit toproblems or errors in judgment when it comes to issues that might effect the economy I'd personally be a little skittish.

[cosmonewman]

I am kind of love-hate with Brattleboro because I grew up there. I enjoy myself when I am there but I also remember why I left at the same time. I don’t know if that is helpful to you or not.

One thing that may or may not be of interest to you is that Walmart, which is currently a short walk from downtown Brattleboro is moving to a site a few miles away. They want to expand to a Super Walmart and the current lot abuts a mountain. So they have no room to grow.

Also, there is a Y in Brattleboro? Who knew. You wouldn’t be referring to the Gibson-Aiken Center? The Colonial Motel on Putney road has an indoor pool btw.

[arel]

The Meeting Waters Y is expanding to Brattleboro, I have read. I have been told they are building a Y in Bratt, but I am assuming (possibly mistakenly) that it is the same thing. The Meeting Waters Y website makes no mention of a pool. If there were a pool, it would be a big marketing point.

The Colonial Motel and Spa has a pool. I stopped by and looked at it. It is a lap pool. No lifeguard. Virtually no other amenities, except a hot tub and things like that. One or two aerobic machines. Also, the fees are very high. I was actually a little shocked.

I have never heard of the Gibson-Aiken Center, but I can research that.

Pipkinra, I am encouraged that you say Brattleboro is the best Vermont choice for me. I'm surprised. Some people have indicated that Burlington is better for a New Yorker. But I'm not sure. I want a real town, but one with city amenities. Not something that is too big for a town and really too small for a city. If I want a real city I'll visit NYC or Boston. If I want something intermediate, I can go to Keene or Northampton.

Cosmonewman, why did you decide to leave Brattleboro? Jobs and money? Or did you feel the need for a bigger place, less out-of-the-way?

[arel]

What would a New Yorker hate about Brattleboro? What would make a New Yorker go nuts?

Too homogeneous? Too quiet? Too calm? Too slow? Too little to do? No ocean? Too gentle? Not crowded enough? No subway? Not in-your-face enough?

[68vette]

But what I really didn't like was the Nuclear power plant being near. I was told by a Realtor that Bratt is downwind so that settled it for me.

I have absolutely nothing against Nuclear Power Plants but not in urban areas. I'm also reminded that when Japan had their recent nuclear incident the power company lied about the extent of the problem and was late in notifying the authorities of the initial leakage. Given this country's tendency, and Vermont may be an exception, to admit toproblems or errors in judgment when it comes to issues that might effect the economy I'd personally be a little skittish.

The Burlington Free Press has a front page article about the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant having a water cooling tower collapse this week and the damage is worse than was originally thought. A watchdog group out of Brattleboro wants the plant shut down due to safety concerns, but that doesn't look like it will happen. They had just done an inspection this past spring on the structure that collapsed and it was found to be in good shape at the time. I wonder if what you say about admitting errors or problems has any relevance with this incident. I find it funny that a few months ago everything was great and now the tower collapses. I hope that same company doesn't inspect a future home I may buy.

[MRVphotog]

Google Image Result for http://www.newenglandtravelplanner.com/assets/vt_images/brattleboro/main_st11059.jpg

[arel]

I must admit that the presence of a nuclear power plant has me concerned, too.

I am especially concerned that the tower collapsed after a positive inspection. What does that mean? Was the inspection not thorough enough? Did they cut corners? Was there politically or financially motivated minimization of risks? Or even outright fraud? How could something like that not have warning signs?

Did something happen that could not have been foreseen, no matter how honest and thorough the inspection? That is scary in its own right.

Most importantly, what else could happen without warning, or with warning that is not detected or detected and not addressed?

Well, maybe there were warning signs, but their consequences were not foreseen:

Brattleboro Reformer - Questions over VY worker safety arise

And Vermont Yankee is not the only nuclear power plant in the northeast.

Chernobyl is still dealing with their tragedy over 20 years later. 187 communities in the exclusion zone remain virtually abandoned to this day. Some people choose to live there, but children are not allowed to. The article I read did say that living with higher-than-normal radiation levels is considered relatively safe, much safer than getting hit at once with a huge amount of radiation. Also, I think there were design changes in nuclear power plants that now make a Chernobyl style accident extremely unlikely.

Imagine this happening in southeastern Vermont. Imagine having to abandon southeastern Vermont, and also parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. I don't know how much land would have to be abandoned, but it would be a significant chunk of New England.

Unthinkable.

But so was 9/11 until it happened.

[68vette]

I'm not an expert when it comes to radiation, but working in a hospital in a critical care setting there are xrays done all the time. The techs have us step out of the area whenever they shoot their films. There are no exceptions. I guess my question would be, are low levels of radiation considered safe if it only produces a small % of people who develop some type of cancer? or is there no risk at all to developing a cancer? I wouldn't only accept the answer from the owners of the power plant.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Vermont Yankee, evacuation plans, & more Green Mountain Daily:: What's really going on at Vermont Yankee 2007 EMERGENCY PUBLIC INFORMATION CALENDAR (http://www.dps.state.vt.us/vem/request.html - broken link)

Just my 2 cents, but I would want to be safely upwind from a nuke or chemical plant, or a refinery for that matter. Anything that can go boom can also send clouds of nasty goo downwind. That includes an important if not major city like Albany. Albany's pretty far away to be concerned about, other than taking a 1-megaton at the state house.

[Incidentally, while common "knowledge" had it that John Wayne and some others died as a result of cigarette smoking, a less known fact is they filmed downwind from a nuke test site. Interesting story. Signs of the Times Forum / Did John Wayne die of cancer caused by a radioactive movie set? ]

Prevailing winds in that section of the country
iWindsurf.com - xt_Atl_ME,NH,VT,QC Wind Data
SailFlow.com - VT- NH / MA w Wind Data
http://www.necci.sr.unh.edu/necci-report/NERAch2.pdf

would I think be toward the north east, which the above data confirm to some degree.

BTW, I don't believe anything the feds or big business says about protecting our safety. After 16 years of the most corrupt and incompetent management this country has ever seen, I'll trust my peacemaker far more than some overpaid underqualified "professional" like doin a heckuvva job Brownie, Chertoff (sounds like a nuke accident), or the hordes of The King's Men sent forth to control the kingdom.

Statistically we're much more likely to get it in a car wreck than get the glowies from a nuke plant accident. We've had no deaths in the US from major Chernobyl type events. But there is always the negligence/incompetence/accidental factor to consider. They say 99+% of the things we fear never do happen.

But when they do, whether it's a bridge collapse, bad guys setting off sarin in a subway, or a fast moving forest fire, being in the wrong place at the wrong time is in Higher hands than ours and I believe when our number's up, our number's up.